Adding a new bottle to your line: what you need
Paschalis KosmidisMSc Mechanical Engineer, AUTh6 min read
A new bottle almost always starts with the message the producer wants to send to the consumer. It might be a new label or a new range. It might be lighter glass or more premium glass. It might be a look that is stricter or lighter, depending on the audience it wants to reach: fresher or more conservative, younger or more traditional. It might even be a closure that tells people this wine is for drinking now rather than for ageing. And the list goes on.
Whether the bottling line can actually run the new bottle comes later. And it usually comes late, a few weeks before the first bottling run.
In this guide
Before you order anything, look at exactly what changes between the old bottle and the new one. That decides what you need, and very often it is less than you fear.
- Check whether the parts you already have are enough.
- Run a test with 10-12 bottles.
- Whatever does not fit is made per station.
First, check whether the parts you already have are enough
First, check whether the new bottle can run on the change parts you already have. Take the drawings of the new bottle and compare them with a bottle you already run that looks very similar. For it to pass through the machine:
Diameter
the body diameter must be the same or up to 2 mm smaller at every height where a star wheel or guide holds it, so it can pass (even if at a lower speed),
Closure
your machine must be able to apply the closure you want with its existing parts (cork, Stelvin screw cap, crown cap),
Height
the height must be within the range your machine can be adjusted to. Check every station here, because they can have different working ranges (it does not sound logical, but I have seen it happen),
Timing screw
if there is a timing screw (feed scroll) setting the pitch into the machine, check that it can handle this diameter. If the volume in ml does not change much it usually can, but it is better to be sure.
Run a test with 10-12 bottles
If, based on the above, you have the equipment to bottle it, run a test with about 10-12 bottles before you commit.
- 1
Ask your supplier for a few samples.
- 2
Put them on your line and fill them with water to see that they move through properly. Start at low speed to avoid damage.
- 3
Then empty them and run them through again, this time at the speed you plan to work at.
If they are smaller than the nominal diameter of the star wheels, do not push it: run them at low speed, otherwise you will cause damage. This is a temporary solution, only for trial batches, so you can see whether the new product gets the response you hoped for. Next year, make new star wheels so you do not harm your machine.
What changes at each station
If you do not have parts to run a test, making new ones is the only way. What needs to be checked, and made if it does not fit:
In addition, per station:
Rinser
If the closure type changesThe rinser may need new grippers to hold the bottle by the neck. This is needed if you change the type of closure, because this part of the bottle is usually defined only by the closure.
Filler
If the closure size changesThe filler may need new centering cones on the filling valves. This is needed if you change the size of the closure, usually with screw caps.
Corker or capper
Needs an engineer visitThis is where you need the most care. There are different neck diameters, depending on the closure and on the bottle, and they affect this stage even when they do not affect the two before it. At this stage an engineer needs to visit and investigate.
Capsuler
Usually fineIf the capsule diameter changes, its transfer may need to change. Usually, though, everything is fine at this stage.
Labeller
If the bottle is taperedProblems start here when the bottle is not straight. If it is tapered and the machine cannot be adjusted in that direction, new parts are the only way. You have surely heard people say “it works as it is”, but the truth is that the labels go on unevenly and you end up with differences between bottles, even defects. You did not make this change to downgrade your packaging, you made it to upgrade it, so that approach goes against your original goal.
We make most of these parts ourselves, together with the star wheels and guides.
How we solve it
Conventional star wheels
With conventional star wheels, every bottle needs its own complete set for every station. You order them from the machine maker, often from abroad, and wait for weeks. Then a technician has to come to fit them and re-adjust the machine, and the same again at every change.
Bottleneck quick-change
With the quick-change system, the base is fitted once at each station and stays the same for every bottle. For each new bottle we make only the grippers, in their own colour. These grippers are quick to make and cost is not what holds you back. So testing a new bottle turns from a process of research, waiting and cost into a phone call and a few days of waiting. The changeover is done by hand, without tools and without re-adjusting the machine, by anyone. For the star wheels, the engineer does not need to come back.
We make the grippers in our own workshop with industrial 3D printing or another method, depending on the part, without a mould. That is why a bottle you will run only a few times a year is still worth it. We design from the real dimensions of your own machine, not from a catalogue, so they fit almost every make of automatic line: Eurostar, AlfaTek, Enoberg, Fimer, GAI, Comet, Bertolaso, Krones, COMEN, Nortan, KOSME and others. We cover bottles from Ø20 to Ø105 mm and from 40 ml to 2 L.
What to send us
We do not need drawings of the machine. We need:
- two or three samples of the new bottle (or, if there are none yet, the technical sheet from your glass supplier),
- the machine model and which stations the bottle will run on,
- the line speed,
- when you want the first bottling run.The fourth is the most important. If we know it early, we also have time for a test before bottling day.
How long you wait
If you already have a Bottleneck base
grippers for the new bottle are ready in 3-5 working days from the moment we have the sample.
If it is the first time
we first assess your line, on site in Greece or remotely from photos, measurements and video abroad, then design bases and grippers for each station. The first upgrade takes about 30 days, depending on the size of the line and the distance from our workshop. After that, every new bottle is a matter of 3-5 working days.
So if you know a new bottle is coming this year, the best time to talk is now, not a few days before.
Frequently asked questions
I am only changing the label. Do I need anything on the line?
If the bottle stays the same, not for the star wheels. The labeller may need adjusting for the new label, but that is a separate matter, and we can help with it too.
The new bottle differs by only a few millimetres. Won't the old star wheels do?
Usually not. A bottle with a slightly smaller diameter plays in the pocket and tilts, one with a slightly larger diameter wedges. Either way you get stops and breakages, mostly at full speed. If you still want to run a trial batch, you can, carefully and at low speed.
I do not have a sample yet, only the glass drawing. Can we start?
Yes, we start the design from the bottle's technical sheet. Before final delivery, though, we need a real sample on site, because glass always deviates somewhat from the drawing.
I will run the new bottle only a few times a year. Is it worth it?
This is where not needing a mould helps. You only make grippers for that bottle, so the cost stays low even for one small run. Fit Bottleneck star wheels once and your bottling machine is never the limiting factor again.
How do we start?
Book a free 30-minute call or send us a message with the bottle and the machine model. There is no commitment. It is definitely worth talking it through.
Want us to look at your own bottle?
Send us a photo of the new bottle next to the old one and your machine model. We will tell you which of the above you need and which you do not.